Wednesday, October 23, 2013

55 gentle ways to take care of yourself when you’re busy busy busy

Say no to anything that is not important to you

Laundry, phone calls with your mom, demanding
girlfriends – this is not the time to be nice and “responsible”. Give
yourself the permission to focus on what’s important. Getting the
unessential responsibilites off your schedule will not only create som
extra time and space, it will also lighten the burden you’re feeling to
keep up with it.

Ask for help

There’s nothing wrong with asking for
help, and you’ll quickly learn that most people around you actually love
to be asked! It makes them feel useful and important. What usually
helps the most is to get help to do the normal things; cooking, shopping
and regular every-day tasks. However, don’t underestimate how important
the people in your life can be when it comes to feedback, motivation and supporting your self-confidence regarding the important work you’re doing.

Get enough sleep

An oldie, but a goodie. This old advice
is not only essential when it comes to self-care, it is also absolutely
essential when it comes to being able to do your best. Particularly
important when it comes to exam periods and work stress, sleep will help
you achieve. It’s easy to think that a few extra hours of work will do
you more good, but it won’t. Sleep will.

Drink tea

Coffee will only get you that far,
before it sends you down into tiredness again. While still being hot and
comforting, tea (and especially the herbal kind) won’t make you
dehydrated and shaky. If you’re feeling tired and think you need a
coffeine boost, go for cold water (or iced tea) instead. Cold water will
help wake you up!

Listen to your favourite music

Calm music will help you calm down and
upbeat music will help you up your game. Pick music that won’t distract
you (like music without lyrics or in a foreign language). Your favourite
music will boost your mood and keep you happy, no matter how tired you
are.

Eat healthy and green food

I know it’s tempting to order pizza, but
it really pays off to take your time to cook and eat nutritious and
healthy food. Not only will it help you achieve better, it will also
boost your mood! I truly recommend heading over to The Stonesoup for some quick and easy recipes. Most of these recipes can be made in less than 10 minutes!

Take 5 minutes in the morning to just stretch and breathe

If you start your day in a stressful
way, you’ll probably feel stressed for the rest of the day as well. Make
sure your morning starts with 5 minutes of silence and ease. Stand up
and stretch your body to make you as tall as you can be. Then bend over
and touch the ground. Stretch again. Try to just feel your body and pay
attention to your breath. Starting the day in a way like this will make
you more relaxed as well!

Walk everywhere

You might be busy and think that every
minute is valuable time to put into your work, but some extra minutes of
walking might be a better way to spend some time. If you live close to
where you’re going, it’s better to walk than to use public transport (or
your car). Not only will the exercise be good for you, you also get
some important fresh air and daylight. If you have to commute, get off
public transport one or two stops too early, or park your car further
away than usual. The extra minutes of fresh air will save you lots of
time when you start working and feel more focused.

Take 5-minute mini-breaks every hour

You can’t stay focused all the time. No
matter how efficient you work, you’ll always get distracted, let your
mind wander or end up spending time reading e-mail (and blogs) instead. A
better way to spend this time is to get up from your chair, walk
outside and take a 5-minute break. The change of place, the change of
physical posture and the movement will make it easier to start again
when your break is over. You’ll also give your brain a chance to relax
and process information, which is essential for your well-being.

Break your self-care habits into smaller tasks and do one each day

No need to look like you’re constantly
running after your life, even if you are! Just break up your routine
into smaller, and more achievable chunchs. Shave your legs one day,
paint your nails the next day, wash your hair the day after, etc. This
approach also works with keeping your house tidy – just do one little
chore every day and you’ll stay on top of everything more easily.

Make a plan of everything that needs to be done

Instead of juggling all your to-do’s and
must-remember’s, write them down on a piece of paper. Then make a plan
of how you are going to manage everything before your deadline. You may
have to schedule a lot of tasks on certain days, and it may seem like
too much to do, but at least you’ll know that everything will get done.
Make sure you stick to the plan, every single day. Don’t fall for the
temptation to start on tomorrow’s tasks today, trust that the plan will
take you there, and enjoy some free time on the days when you finish
your tasks early.

Make sure you keep in touch with your friends

Just a few text messages, tweets or the
occational coffee will make sure your friendships don’t suffer. You will
feel much better when you focus on something else entirely, and it will
prevent you form becoming a workaholic hermit. You don’t have to keep
in touch with everybody, most people will understand that you’re having a
busy period. Just make sure you stay in touch with the people that make
you happy and inspired.

Make room for rest

This one’s important. Make sure that
whenever you plan to rest – really rest. That means that you will have
to make a conscious effort to push all work-related thoughts and worries
away. It’s also important that you rest your mind as well as your body.
5 minutes of stillness is better than 30 minutes in front of the TV!

Surround yourself with inspiring photos

Put up some of your favourite photos
where you can see them when you work. Whenever you get unfocused, you
will feel much better if you can rest your eyes on something pretty,
rather than everything that reminds you of how busy you are. If you
can’t put up photos at work or in a study hall, bring a scrapbook or use
Pinterest on your computer.

Write a daily gratitude list

A daily
gratitude list is really helpful to shift your focus and help you
appreciate the situation. It doesn’t have to be long, a few sentences
will do. If you keep a gratitude journal, you can also look back on your
previous entries whenever you need a little boost of happiness and
motivation.

Spend your lunchtime as sacred you-time

… and enjoy your healthy food with a
little journaling, blog-reading, or people-watching. See it as a way to
nourish your soul on several levels. It’s important to eat, but it’s
equally important to be inspired, creative, silly, whimsical and happy.

Write a worry-list

Stress makes us more vulnerable, and
worry can be a nasty side-effect of a busy period. If you find yourself
worrying a lot, it’s a good idea to write a daily worry-list. Whenever
you catch a worrying thought, write it down and save it for later. Spend
5 minutes in the morning and 5-minutes in the evening worrying about
whatever you put on your list. It may sound simple, but postponing your
worry will actually make it less worrying whenever you sit down and
actually think about it in peace and quiet.

Take a run or a long walk

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Any
sort of excercise will release endorophins, your body will thank you +
it clears your head so you can focus on all the important work that lies
ahead.

Keep a planner and shedule no-appointments time

To make your life less chaotic, it’s a
good practice to keep a planner. Make sure you write down every single
appointment, to save yourself from unwanted surprises and missed
meetings. Just remember to schedule time for yourself. Honor your
appointment with yourself just as much as you would keep an appointment
with anyone else. Just make sure you schedule time with yourself first –
anyone else needs to come in second in your life.

Keep track of your achievements

It may seem like you’re never going to
get over a busy period, which is why you should keep a list of
achievements close at any time.Whenever you hit a milestone – write it
down! It will be very useful when you’re feeling tired by the end of the
day and know that you still have several more hours of work before you
can call it a day.

Wear your pretty clothes

… and be busy with style! If you dress
nicely, chances are you’ll feel better too. All it takes is 5 minutes in
the morning, and with your most powerful, wonderful and pretty clothes
on, you’ll feel like a million for the rest of the day.

Go to a yoga class

…Or do some yoga at home. Even ten minutes of savasana is better than nothing, and will recharge your batteries (and your mind).

Take a hot bath

Nothing helps you relax like a hot bath.
Use your favourite bubbles, turn off the light, light some candles and
you’re good to go. One hour in the bath in the evening may be the best
way to relax because of this simple fact – you can’t take your work and
your computer with you.

Light candles

Candles have a relaxing effect,
especially gently scented ones. If you can’t light candles in your
workplace, make sure you light them when you get home. Lavender and
cedarwood are scents that can help you relax.

Write support-thoughts and affirmations

Support-thoughts are thougths written
down when you’re calm, that can support you when you are really busy and
tired. For example, a gentle reminder of why you’re doing all the work,
a short pep-talk, or a reminder of how wonderful you are is an amaxing
way of taking care of yourself.

Craft an emotional emergency plan

Ideally, you should have this written
down before you enter a really busy period. If everything goes wrong,
and you’re maxed out, panicky or just plain exhausted – who do you call?
what do you do? where do you go? Planning this in advance is self-care
on a high level.

Breathe

Do I need to say more? When stress builds up, take five seconds off and just breathe. Deep.

Do something silly

Don’t forget to have fun! Who said you
can’t laugh, even though you’re busy! Make jokes, engage with you
co-workers, read comics and just allow yourself to be silly for a little
while. I promise it wil boost your mood, your co-workers’ moods and a
little laughter every day will help you through a really challenging
time.

Single-task

Now is not the time to play superwoman.
Be nice to yourself and let your brain tackle one task at a time.
Rumours have it that this is more productive in the long run…

This book is quick to read (and there’s a
free version!) and it will change your work habits and make it much
easier to be you. Enough said.

Take the last evening off

The last night before your big
D(r)eadline is the night to relax. Panicking in the last minute isn’t a
very good way of taking care of yourself. And you don’t want to
oversleep on your exam day, have dark circles under your eyes on
presentation day or distroy everything in the last minute because you
spent the last night cramming. Take the last evening (or even the last
day) off and relax. You’ve done your best, there’s nothing more you can
do. Pat yourself on your back – you made it.

Keep a tidy workspace

It will make you more focused, relaxed and less overwhelmed.

Create some routines

When work or studies take all your
focus, it can be useful to create some new habits or routines to take
some of the burden off your back. Make it a habit to cook a larger batch
of dinner on day 1, and eat leftovers for the next two days. Use
Sundays to prepare what to wear for the next couple of days. Wear your
hair in a ponytail five days in a row. This is not the time to expect
yourself to find lots of different and exciting outfits, hairdo’s or
recipes.

Write things down

When you’re mind is working over-time,
let it relax by helping yourself remember everything. Write down any
ideas, to-do’s, must-remember’s and other things you have to remember.
This way, you don’t have to carry the additional stress of remembering
everything you need to remember.

Accept a little clutter and mess

Just let it be. Some dust and a little
dirt has never hurt anyone. Focus on what’s important to you, you can
always clean up the mess later. Just don’t go around and feel bad about
it on top of everything else!

Allow your emotions to come to the surface

If you’re tired and sad, cry it all out.
If you’re stressed, don’t try to put on a mask and hide it. Get it all
out, all the frustration, the overwhelm, the anger and the fear. You’ll
feel much better after.

Honor your limits

Set some limits and stick with them. A
lot of tasks when we’re busy don’t have a set limit, like when you’re
studying and being creative. It’s easy to feel like you’re never quite
done. Set some clear limits for yourself and honor them. Say to
yourself; “when the time is up, I’m DONE”.

Take the weekends completely off

If you’re under constant pressure over
an extended period of time, it’s good practice to keep the weekends
completely sacred. This means no work e-mail or calls, no appointments
or catching up.

Gather your support group

Call your mother and ask her to help you
take care of the house, tell your girlfriends what you’re dealing with,
seek out others in the same situation as you, and make sure your
partner is on your team. Not only can they help with practical tasks,
they will give you lot’s of moral support and you’ll feel less alone.

Outsource

Outsource what you can, for example your home cleaning, laundry or bookeeping.

Delegate

If you’re working on a team – make sure
you don’t try to do everything yourself, delegate as much as you can to
lighten your load.

Get more sunlight

Especially if your busy period is
happening in winter, make sure you get your daily dose of sunlight if
you’re spending a lot of time in gloomy libraries and workplaces.

Take your vitamins

This won’t even take you a minute – just
go for a multivitamin paired with your breakfast. Especially important
if you’re eating a lot of processed and unhealthy foods when you’re
busy, but remember that vitamins don’t make up for an unhealthy diet.

Eat fresh fruit and vegetables

Keep some fruits and nuts close by and
snack when you’re hungry. Don’t forget the veg, cucumbers, cherry
tomatoes and carrots are great snacks!

Use scented oils in the shower

Lavender to relax, or a little peppermint to wake you up – all you need is a drop or two of essential oil in the shower.

Resist the urge to be productive all the time

You can’t be equally productive every
single waking moment, so you might as well schedule some off time right
away. Be nice to yourself and don’t expect to accomplish as much in the
late evening as you do in the morning.

Limit your media consumption

… because your brain can only process a
limited amount of information. When you need your focus to be on work,
don’t overflow your brain with tv news, newspapers, magazines and books.

Meditate in the morning

Ten minutes of stillness can make all the difference.

Block out distractions

Need to get some work done? Consider to
pull out your internet cable, switch off your phone and lock the door.
If only for a few hours, you won’t miss out on anything, and you’ll feel
a lot better afterwards.

Compliment yourself

Positive self-speech can seriously
impact your mood. Instead of adding to the monkey-brain thoughts of not
good enough, too stressed and panic – tell yourself you look good, that
you’re doing great and that you can manage everything that comes your
way.

Do the dreaded tasks first

There are always tasks you’ll love to do
more than others, and it’s tempting to do those first. However, it’s a
good idea to do the hardest tasks first. That way, you’ll save yourself
from all the dread!

Brighten your day with colourful pencils and pretty stationery

It doesn’t have to cost much, but it
will make a huge impact on your happiness – especially if you’re a
stationery and design geek… (well, who isn’t?)

Reward yourself

Maybe not the best overall habit to get
used to, but desperate times call for desperate measures. If you need it
to get through – reward yourself with gifts, chocolate and breaks
whenever you finish a task. Just don’t make it a habit to kick yourself
if you don’t make it. Maybe you need the treat anyways?

Postpone all major decisions

… This is not the time to move houses,
quit your day job or break up with your spouse (however tempting any of
those changes are). Save the big stuff for when you’re calmer and can
think clearer.

Accept yourself as you are

Let yourself off the hook and accept
that you are only human. You are doing your absolute best, and you are
doing exactly what you need to do. Trust your instincts and keep doing
whatever you’re doing. You don’t need to change anything about yourself –
trust that you are perfect just the way you are.

About Me

Hi my name is Dianna, Welcome to my blog. I am so happy you found me!This is my little place where I love to write, share ideas, inspire and create. I am a wife to an amazing man who I am so lucky to have. I am a mom to the most amazing girls who make my life such a joy. I have a full time job and a lover of all things creative, homemade, baking and photography. Thanks for visiting and I do hope you stay awhile.

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